ACS Secretary Ben Honeybone and Chair Jon Wright launched their film about the history and architecture of Catford on 24th January 2025 at The Fellowship cinema in Bellingham. The premiere featured a Q&A hosted by the BBC’s Claudia Hammond, and was followed by four further performances, all sold out.

Over four hundred people have now seen the film, amongst them local MP Janet Daby, who praised it and offered her help with getting it into more venues. Lewisham Mayor Brenda Dacres and local councillors were also invited but sadly didn’t reply.

Ben and Jon hope to have a gala screening at Catford’s enormous Broadway Theatre, which could be followed by a panel discussion about the future of Catford.

Audience feedback has been incredible, and we’re very grateful to everyone who attended. Here’s what people said:

[All reviews 5 stars unless indicated otherwise]

Friday 24^th Jan 2025

• Amazing! Very insightful.           
• Amazing! Please make it available online – happy to pay!
• Very Good!
• Hope it creates curiosity around future developments to build on what we have, rather than current throw away culture
• This was a model of good practice for places where re-development is proposed. Fund short films that explain the provenance/history of a place before conducting a consultation
• Brilliant! A game of two halves – the history of the various estates and the growth of Rushey Green and Catford and then the wonderful, impartial explanation of the Rodney Gordon creations and Brutalism. Thank you
• More please!
• Very interesting! Really enjoyed it
• Excellent – a lot of hard work to produce such a marvellous film
• Show it at Corbett Library
• Good work Ben and Jon, fellow Catfordians! May you both follow up on Amar Patel’s (Sister Midnight) suggestions. Thank you both!
• Absolutely wonderful, eye opening. Brilliant. Perfect
• Wonderful film – learned so much about the manorial origins of the Catford area – and the incredible range of entertainments locally. Played badminton at St Laurence’s in the 1970’s, but never entered the church – definitely will now.
• Brilliant. Thank you. [upped to 10 stars]
• A seamless triumph! Every borough should be championed by such a film!
• Wonderful. Thanks
• A very well made film containing a huge body of information that should be studied by all Catford residents. I am all about preserving heritage, whether in bricks or otherwise. I hope this encourages every decisionmaker (architects and planners) to find smart ways to adapt what’s already here. To pass on what’s been here for decades. It’s our history.
• Tres bien!
• Please add me to the mailing list about film and issues raised
• Great work!
• Five stars. Fantastic. Well researched
• Beautifully paced, lovely coherent storytelling – makes Catford look idyllic. Congratulations!
• Such a great film! Congratulations!
• Beautiful flow. Important and really interesting
• Manages to put Catford on the map, and provide a great focus for moving forward. Show it at St Dunstan’s school.
• Brilliant and thought-provoking
• Excellent, now off to contribute to saving Milford Towers!
• Brilliant. Interesting. Without the naff cats this could really go somewhere [4 stars]
• Wonderful gem of a film. It made me so proud and taught me so much. I want to be part of the next chapter for Catford – green regeneration
• Great technical film. Faultless presentation
• Fascinating and beautifully constructed
• [Plus 7 more 5 star reviews without comments]

Saturday 25^th Jan 2025

Matinee performance

• We lived in Catford for 38 years and this film has taught me a lot I never knew about the area. Very interesting and enlightening. It needs to be distributed to a wider audience including Mayor and Cabinet
• I live in Inchmery and thought I knew Catford but there is so much more in this film. Fabulous.
• Amazing film. Very detailed
• Thank you for making this amazing, informative and passionate film, and a wonderful defence of our shared history and our future
• 5 stars! I learned a lot about Catford. It might be great if the Catford Cat statue’s story was included
• A fascinating and very moving account of change over time in a community
• Catford don’t look the same
• I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have lived in Catford practically all my life (80 years) and I have found out more about Catford from this film than I ever knew before.
• Superbly put together – learned lots I didn’t know about my area.
• Brilliant. You should approach a TV station to show it. And show it at the Corbett Library
• Absolutely fantastic film. Let’s all find a way to help Catford shine again!
• Wonderful film! I moved to Catford from New Cross/Telegraph Hill a few years ago and I feel much more appreciative of the area now and indeed concerned for its future! Wish I’d brought my kids but hopefully will be available soon. Thank you
• Brilliant! Should be compulsory viewing for local MP’s, councillors and officers
• Fascinating history and explanation of Catford – I learned a lot. Would be a tragedy to lose Milford Towers
• Loved it (and I don’t live in Catford)! Spread the word
• This is a format that could be rolled out across many other areas of London that are under threat
• Well done. Where are the councillors? Shame on them! Keep going – the Fellowship too!
• You mention not one councillor has attended. This says it all, no hope for Catford
• Really enjoyed the film. We need to ensure the right developments go forward as we lose so much when consideration is not given to our history.
• Absolutely excellent film and a total disgrace the Mayor and councillors have not supported these screenings by attending. Good luck in persuading and using the film to campaign for a better Catford
• Very interesting. Not sure I agree re Milford Towers but otherwise strong arguments
• Very interesting, and although I’ve lived in Catford for over 40 years I learned a lot of things about the history of the area. I hope the council will see it and take note of some of the suggestions
• Fantastic film. Very impressive. Please please please show Lewisham council
• Magnificent film, beautiful telling of Catford’s past and present. A TRIUMPH! Great presentation and cinematography. WELL DONE!
• Great to hear all that history of our area (lived here since 2014). Strong point about the carbon storage in buildings [4 stars]
• Wonderful film – fascinating history of our corner of south east London. This historical analysis is key to understanding a place, not only its past but more importantly its future – to prevent regrettable and badly thought out developments
• So interesting to learn about places known and unknown in the area
• Great film – fabulous to see things not had the opportunity to see before. Heart-warming to know others share my passion to conserve our brutalist buildings!
• Fantastic film, wholeheartedly agree with retaining Milford and Eros. Maybe the Catford Mews cinema could move to the Fellowship!
• Very interesting film. Thank you
• A unique opportunity to see the cycle of change to community and architecture through time
• Really interesting. Very professional. Brilliant. Isn’t there a TV station that would buy it/show it? Wishing you every success!
• Thorough and interesting
• Really informative and enjoyable!!!
• Very interesting
• Lovely!
• [Plus 4 more 5 star reviews without comments]

Saturday 25^th Jan 2025

Evening performance

• Such an excellent film. Extremely interesting and very well produced and directed. I learned so much. What a great initiative. #Save the buildings!
• Fascinating insight into the area – loved it!
• Very interesting. Well shot and narrated
• Made me proud of living here and excited for the future [4 stars]
• Brilliant – many thanks
• Good work. Ms Howell – resident 45 years Arngask
• Please come to local schools
• The film inspired me to be more interested in the place I live. Totally agree about protecting our brutalist buildings. Thank you
• Very interesting and eye-opening piece on Catford’s understated beauty. It’s very easy to forget Catford’s treasures when looking at congested roads. So thank you for the reminder and for your work to make locals awake
• Try film festivals; The Barbican; BBC Online
• Great intro to the history of buildings and parks in the area. Milford Towers I used to think was too far gone but no longer!
• Thanks so much for putting this together. Keep it up, so important for Catford history
• As someone from North London I found this very interesting. Have done a lot of walks in SE and Catford, Ladywell, Sydenham. A place should reflect the passage of time and not be a museum
• Really REALLY loved the film – I thought I was quite well up on the history of Catford but I learned so much. And you have totally convinced me on the wildcats thing. Catford is feeling a bit dismal at the moment with the closure of the Mews and the (second) Constitutional, but the film made me feel incredibly positive about the place I’ve lived in for just over 20 years. Thank you!
• Excellently executed. Would love a tour
• Brilliant documentary! I enjoyed seeing Catford’s brutalist architecture
• Very interesting. Would be interested in your thoughts for development of the town centre
• Great film! Beautifully shot; interesting commentary; fascinating content. Deserves a wider audience
• Loved every moment. Thank you so much for this
• Thank you! It was fascinating. Next time I walk the areas featured in the film I’ll definitely think of the past and the future to come
• Excellent, really interesting. Hope it will be available online/on YouTube for others to enjoy. Please can we have some tours of 20^th century Catford!
• So interesting having lived in Catford since 1953. Remembered lots on the film
• Great film
• Keep buildings – change purpose to reflect needs/wants of community. Easy to say but difficult to do. Unfortunately there would be no room for Brutalism if ‘old’ buildings not ‘sacrificed’. ‘Room’ is limited and need for it changes. New architects would like to think their style is new and innovative too
• Excellent film. Having lived in Catford for 70 years the old pictures and the demise of the old Town Hall and church brought back memories. An additional loss was the old Hither Green hospital
• Learnt so much. Thank you
• Any intel on what they’re going to do with Catford Mews cinema?
• Fantastic and informative as a person who has lived in Catford all my life. Poor old Catford needs to be championed
• Absolutely fascinating thank you so much
• Fascinating! Please email me dates of extra screenings
• Thank you for the change of perspective. Food for thought
• Brilliant! We need to contact all councillors
• Fantastic. Thanks. Learnt so much. Hope on YouTube soon
• Really engaging. Splendid! Very informative brilliant film
• So interesting to see ‘home’ on screen. Very nostalgic in a good way
• Given a chance, could you create a list of the places featured? Enjoyed it. Thanks!
• Could the film be made available online? With supporting materials would be useful! Written, images, maps etc
• A delightful film – interesting and such a nice way to see the importance of a place and seeing it in a new light! Thank you!
• [Plus 7 more 5 star reviews without comments]

Saturday 8^th February 2025

Matinee performance

• Most interesting. Enjoyed every moment
• Thank you. Very enjoyable
• As a Catford resident 30 plus years: Film brilliant. Educational, informative, very good.
• Would be good to show to local schools so pupils get a sense of belonging and local history of their area
• Fabulous film Jon
• Brilliant
• I understood it and I’ve never been [to Catford]. Great message!
• Really interesting!! Bellingham neighbour
• Sad about what we have lost
• Lovely film – such an emotional attachment to an area. Please tell the council!!
• Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps could be shown in local secondary schools to promote pride in Catford
• Excellent!
• Fantastic film. Really interesting. Well done!!
• So interesting! Thank you. I’ve learnt a lot today. I moved to Catford in 1997 – have come to love it.
• Great film – glad the eco-environmental dimension of potential redevelopment was considered
• It was a lovely film, that was very informing and easy to watch, even to someone that does not know a lot about the area. I think someone else talking in it would have been good though. Maybe a specialist on something that was talked about in the film
• Amazing. 5 stars. Well…my dad’s in it!!! I’m not even being biased!
• Brilliant film
• Thank you! You have opened a door to an area I thought I knew. Do you have a Penge branch? We need you!
• Super interesting! Thanks!
• Excellent film. Covers a wide area. Well researched, easy to understand and relate to. Thank you Jon and Ben
• Fascinating. Warmly and entertainingly, as well as educationally, portrayed. Thank you. And thanks for the warm welcome.
• Wonderful – needs more exposure. Well done!
• FAB!!
• Excellent! Really informative, interesting documentary. Well shot and a sense of humour injected. Thank you!
• Excellent!! Very informative. The film was interesting and entertaining. The shots provided a feel for the diverse architecture of Catford and how it has changed so quickly. It is home to so many people and the film celebrates its culture. Jon was a brilliant presenter!
• Very informative and interesting. Learnt a lot more about Catford. In some parts you described ‘1900’ as 19^th century (19^th = 1800)
• Brilliant film,. Fascinating facts, learnt a lot. Thank you.
• Well thought out, well researched and excellent argument for not having the proposed tower blocks. Loved it.
• Fabulous – great history tour
• OUTSTANDING. I came supporting the idea of Catford intending to be forgotten because of what’s happened to it. NOW I want to come back to Catford and join the group going round it again to prove it’s FASCINATING NOW
• Topic of Catford and its future should be continued, especially in regard to future plans
• Been here nearly 30 years. Here’s to 30 more. Fascinating history
• A fantastic piece of work, which certainly ought to influence future planning and development of Catford
• 5 star! Brilliant
• Very good film – I agreed with all the sentiments. I will keep up pressure on the council to listen to the people. I haven’t lived there but I like the Milford Towers building. How to get it listed?
• Very enjoyable and interesting
• My elderly mother (aged 96) enjoyed it – remembering a lot of the places – she couldn’t hear it, but enjoyed it nonetheless
• I was pleased that the energy (ie C02) cost of demolition and rebuild was mentioned. If possible, existing structures should be repurposed (NOT demolished) to correct the mistakes that made these structures unsafe for human habitation eg a mugger’s paradise!
• Fantastic film. I was born in Catford (Wates Estate) in 1948 so have seen and acknowledged all the changes. No highrises in Catford please. Repurpose Milford Towers to make it safe and habitable for the women and children who live there
• I knocked of half a star because a)I loathe Brutalism on the whole, and Eros House is an ugly, swaggering mess that no amount of subjective enthusiasm will change and b) Including the National Theatre between those two Catford disasters was cheap – like putting Beethoven between Barry Manilow and the Back Street Boys [4.5 Stars]
• 5 star rating – fantastic. A brilliant film. I want to know more about Catford and Lewisham borough as a whole.
• Very informative
• Jon was good
• Fantastic
• [Plus 11 more 5 star reviews without comments]

Saturday 8^th February 2025

Evening performance

• Fantastic, felt in good hands and as someone born and bred (and still living) in Lewisham each unravelling scene thrilled me
• AMAZING! I have learnt so much so thank you
• Great film. Thanks. I thought the name derived from Cattleford due to cows! We really liked the tone and the greenspaces, as I’m keen on sharing walking. I’ll ask our councillors re theatre showing
• Amazing film thank you. Could be more about the cultural scene in Catford [4 stars]
• Loved it. Want more people to see this film.
• Very interesting history of Catford. Well done
• Excellent production and very informative about the development of the area now known as Catford
• It makes me proud to live in Catford
• Fantastic film. Really enjoyed it – so informative about the history. However, the rich history in terms of Black community was not really gone into – more on the cultural diversity [4 stars]
• Brilliant!
• Fantastic film detailing the history of Catford and I really enjoyed the evening
• Excellent presentation
• Excellent. Thank you
• We loved the film – excellent research. It’s a pity you didn’t include the architecture of schools – Catford Boys school, Sedgehill and and Prendergast
• Brilliant to see Catford, before and now. My eyes were opened to my area. Being a Brummie, new to the area, very good.
• Very passionate movie. Brilliant, thank you!
• Great narration throughout. Drone scenes, maps, sound effects really brought it to life and kept it going. Snippets of stories of people could have been expanded – people love stories of people
• Great film – amazed it was shot on a phone! I hope you get to show it to Councillors and teams at the Council such as planning. Thank you
• Local councillors were on my street last week and said that we should contact them anytime so…they are going to get a lot more contact
• Very interesting history of the area I live in. I hope the history from the area is still here when my children grow up and they will still be able to enjoy the parks
• Amazing, loved learning about things we look at every day
• Loved it. Will come to the Broadway to watch again
• Very informative – will look at Catford in a new light
• More power to you! Also, I have tons of historical research on Rushey Green if you want it. Glad to see the CCC coming back to life
• Wonderful!
• A fantastic film, really enjoyed it. Very thought provoking
• Informative, well-delivered and personal
• Excellent and thought-provoking, I hope our council takes note
• If old buildings aren’t demolished there is no room or motivation for new styles of architecture to be built and developed. New architects can be the future [4 stars]
• Wonderful!
• Excellent film. As a relatively new Catford resident (just over 2 years) I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it would be a massive shame to lose certain aspects (brutalism) to regeneration!
• Brilliant
• Excellent. I need to go on a walk, with new eyes!
• Excellent – but my one point is that the Rushey Green open spaces could have been included as a further Catford open space
• Loved it. Made me love Catford even more!
• Loved it all x
• Great film – so needed. Thanks for starting the discussion
• Thank you for making this film. So many things I really didn’t know that will influence my thinking so much
• First rate
• Amazing! Stunning! I’d like to show it at St Dunstan’s College. Let’s chat
• Very informative and enjoyable [4 stars]
• Very enjoyable
• [Plus 10 more 5 star reviews without comments]